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The Gemmorah in Sanhedrin 56b learns that Adam was given the 7 Noahide laws from the verse "וַיְצַוי"א עַל־הָאָדָם לֵאמֹר מִכֹּל עֵץ־הַגָּן אָכֹל תֹּאכֵל׃", that comes before the formation of animals and Eve:

"From where are the Noahide mitzvot, derived? Rabbi Yoḥanan says: It is from that which the verse states (Genesis 2:16–17): “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying: Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it, for on the day that you eat from it, you shall die” ."

Apparently, Adam was created intelligent enough to understand the laws which include adultery and bestiality (some say also castration) which necessitate the existence of both animals and women.

However, not only was he alone, but he didn't wonder where are all those creatures he was commanded about. God also doesn't show any sign of puzzlement or confusion. He forms those only after realizing that leaving the human by himself is "not good".

How can this story be harmonized?

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  • If the laws were given to Adam, why are they called Noahide?
    – Maurice Mizrahi
    Commented Sep 15 at 14:10
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    @MauriceMizrahi Because six of them were given to Adam, then re-given to Noach, with a seventh one (not to eat a limb from a living animal) added. See chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1188354/jewish/….
    – Meir
    Commented Sep 15 at 16:25
  • What is the Rambam's exact source?
    – Maurice Mizrahi
    Commented Sep 15 at 17:18
  • @Meir -- Looks like it's not cut and dried: "Rav Yehudah says: "Adam was commanded as to idolatry only, as it is said: "And the Lord commanded the man" (Gen. 2:16); i.e., the Lord commanded him concerning the law of God." Rav Yehudah b. Bathyra said: "Also as to blasphemy." And there are some others who say also concerning civil courts. "[Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Sanhedrin 7:4]
    – Maurice Mizrahi
    Commented Sep 15 at 17:23
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    What's wrong with giving time-capsule laws? See the law about making 3 more cities of refuge "once Hashem expands our borders". Hasn't happened yet.
    – Rabbi Kaii
    Commented Sep 16 at 10:47

2 Answers 2

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In the previous chapter, animals are clearly made before man. If the order in the second chapter confuses you, you can say that those animals are additional, exemplar animals for the naming. Or you could say that bestiality also applies to fish and birds.

Regarding adultery, perhaps the unseparated Adam was a married unit and bestiality would also be adultery?

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  • Not "made", but "created" and we traditionally differentiate between the two, more like ברא is "planned" and יצר is "formed".
    – Al Berko
    Commented Sep 15 at 14:33
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    The laws were given to Noah. Let's leave Adam out of this.
    – Maurice Mizrahi
    Commented Sep 15 at 15:20
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In Bereshit 2:19, it says "And Hashem Elokim formed (ויצר) all the beasts of the field from the earth..." Rashi on the spot comments that this "creating" (yetzirah) is the same "making" (asiyah) which is referenced earlier in 1:25, when it says "And Elokim made the beasts of the field according to their types, and the domesticated animals according to their types, and those that creep in the earth according to their type, and Elokim saw that it was good." Here in 2:19, says Rashi, the text is returning to an earlier topic and giving us more information previously unrevealed.

Note that the word used in 1:25 is עשה, not ברא.

So the prohibition against bestiality is not a question, as the animals already existed, and Adam saw them about him. (Shortly thereafter, a representative sample was brought to him to be named.)

As for the prohibition against adultery, which necessarily assumes the existence of women, it seems to me that there are at least three explanations available to us.

One, when Hashem made this statement to Adam, he did not immediately grasp its full significance; full understanding only came later, as the last elements of the universe were created.

Two, Adam was granted such wisdom that he was able to foresee the existence of women, and could therefore understand this command.

Three, this verse serves us, through the Torah She'ba'al Peh, as a source for the Noachide Commandments, but Hashem said them more clearly to Adam somewhat later, in a discussion which the Torah does not record.

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  • Thank you this one's is much better. See also judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/121580/… I would like to see sources that say that Gen 1 was actual creation, because it seemingly contradicts Gen 2.5 and on.
    – Al Berko
    Commented Sep 16 at 9:38
  • Please clarify for me how this seems contradictory? And what kind of sources would you prefer, beyond Rashi's interpretation?
    – Yehoshua Kahan
    Commented Sep 16 at 14:59
  • Gen 2.5 says the animals were formed and brought to Adam. How do you understand וַיִּצֶר֩ יְהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהִ֜ים מִן־הָֽאֲדָמָ֗ה כׇּל־חַיַּ֤ת הַשָּׂדֶה֙
    – Al Berko
    Commented Sep 16 at 15:25
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    It seems to me that according to Rashi we should understand Gen 2:19 as "Hashem had already formed the animals (as discussed in 1:19), and at this point He brought them to Adam." 2:5 does not talk about the animals at all, so I assume that was a typo on your part.
    – Yehoshua Kahan
    Commented Sep 16 at 15:28
  • So you suggest the formation of animals has nothing to do with God's conclusion "not good to be alone"? The part about naming the animals was "misplaced".
    – Al Berko
    Commented Sep 16 at 20:24

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